Warhol, Andy : A visual artist
- patylskhanamirian
- Oct 19, 2024
- 3 min read
I say, Andy Warhol! You'd think !Campbell Soup!
At last, Andy Warhol’s long awaited exhibition opened its doors at the Art Gallery of Ontario on July 21st 2023 and I had the pleasure of attending and viewing his groundbreaking masterpieces.
Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola in 1928 (Pennsylvania, Pittsburg) to Andrej and Julia Warhola, who immigrated from Mikova, Slovakia. Brought up Catholic, he attended Church throughout his entire life and was drawn to religious imagery. He took art lessons and studied pictorial design at the Carnegie Institute of technology. Before propelling into stardom, he was considered too effeminate and connected to the commercial world of advertising to be considered a serious artist by fellow artists of the time.
Andy Warhol ventured into many art medium; he was into film making, painting / pop art, performance and installation art. He became a leading artist in the 1960s.
Self portrait 1967
When I first encountered Pop Art eight years ago, my initial response was disbelief - "Is this really considered Art?" Having been raised with a traditional mindset, I had always associated artists like Monet, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt with Art. Andy Warhol's work didn't quite fit into that category for me. It wasn't until I delved into the various Contemporary Art movements and explored Contemporary museums and galleries in London that I began to understand and value the innovation and messages embedded in the art of numerous contemporary artists.
Marilyn Diptych 1962
The space is curated around different Art forms as they were embraced by the artists through the years; Hand-Painted and Stencilled Pop, Multicolor Painting and Titling, Gender Identity and language (Ladies and Gentlemen), videography and an Installation art, The Silver Clouds.
The selected Artwork reflect the political and social representation of the last four decades of the artist’s life. From his early Catholic upbringing to New Age American consumerism, Warhol remains to this day at the center of the Pop Art movement.
Furthermore, a common important theme that revolves within the space is Sexuality.
Wilhelmina Ross
Andy Warhol’s Art celebrates brands and logos introduced to American consumers, shed light the Civil Rights Movement and introduces the start of the the Sexual Revolution.
As a shy gay man, Andy Warhol grew up at a time where sex between men was illegal in the United States. He however, embraced the poets, the queer community, the artists of New York. His 1975 series “Ladies and Gentlemen” raises questions about the Transgender identity and the politics of racial representation. He featured Black and Latinx drag queens and trans women, who were recruited for a fee from local drag bars to pose for the artist’s lens. My favorite is of Wilhelmina Ross, a close friend of Warhol and a leading star in drag theater. She passed away from AIDS in the 80s.
I cannot imagine how hard it must have been for Andy Warhol to be fully accepted by his peers. One might think that might have been one of the reasons why he was not confident of his appearance and wore wigs and make up before being interviewed.
Were these the thoughts that made him obsessed with death?
If you are curious, there is a docuseries available on Netflix "The Andy Warhol Diaries" that offers glimpses into Warhol's life. Meanwhile, I will share with you the following artwork that was featured in the exhibition.
Andy Warhol inspired and continues to inspire many emerging artists. One would imagine what he would have created if his life did not end shortly at the age of 58.
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